Various types of portable light devices are disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,488 to Dritsas, discloses a flashlight construction for placement on the forehead above the eyes, and adapted for use by surgeons during blackouts when no other light is available.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,179 to Peterson, discloses a purse light, which uses a pin for to attach a flashlight along its longitudinal aspect for use to direct a light beam.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,104 to Rodel discloses a forehead lamp for medical purposes with the light source positioned to direct a light beam along the eye level of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,936 to Gentry discloses a power pack and light device for the mining industry and includes safety designs for use where gases in the environment may tend to become explosive.
The foregoing devices do not, however, fulfill the requirement of pilots flying an airplane at night, particularly in stormy weather, who may experience the loss of lighting within the cockpit and resultant inability to read the instrument panel. FAA Regulations require that all pilots should have an independent backup light or an external light in the cockpit in case of blackout or other emergency conditions.
However, the ordinary situation is that the FAA required backup light may not have been stored in the proper location. A pilot will often forget where he left the flashlight and will likely experience the loss of crucial seconds for locating it. In such emergency situations, it is not unusual for a pilot to try to hold the flashlight in place by clenching it in his teeth to free his hands for manning the aircraft controls. This, of course, interferes with a pilot's ability to communicate vocally. Others may try to hold the flashlight under their arm as they scan the control panel and man the controls. A blackout in the cockpit of an aircraft is a frightening experience. It is life threatening. As such, there is an urgent necessity for a compact, lightweight lighting device attachable to a pilots standard gear for convenient use in the event of cockpit blackout.
Since a pilot must remain in constant communication with air traffic controllers earphone headsets are required to be worn by pilots. While an aviator's earphone headset is part of a pilot's standard gear, it is usually a component of the aircraft and is left in the plane when a pilot goes off duty or departs to a different flight. Attachment of an emergency lighting device to a headpiece, which headpiece may be the earpiece of a pilot's earphone headset or a military pilot's helmet containing earphones, would assure availability of light when urgently needed.
This is an important feature to aid a pilot in an emergency, by freeing his hands to control the aircraft. This lighting device would be of invaluable assistance to pilots in an emergency; it would be like having a third hand in the cockpit. Pilots who have experienced blackout conditions in the cockpit confirm that in such emergencies, pilots need all that modern technology and aeronautics can provide. Yet in a blackout emergency in the cockpit, pilots may currently lack the most fundamental element required to ensure safety, an independent lighting device.